One suspect was acquitted, the court suspecting that his statement was extorted.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Impunity continued for historic attacks on journalists, including investigative journalist Olivera Lakić, shot in 2018. In December, NGO Human Rights Action urged the State Prosecutor to provide protection to Olivera Lakić, after a plan to assassinate her was revealed. In January, proceedings were initiated against three journalists, detained for between 14-28 hours for “causing panic and disorder”; two were prosecuted. Private individuals were similarly detained, four of them for posting “false news” about COVID-19 on social media; three were indicted. The Appeals Courts quashed the convictions of two other individuals fined under public order legislation for criticizing officials online.
DISCRIMINATION In July, Parliament adopted legislation recognizing same-sex civil partnerships, although registered partners were not allowed to adopt or foster children. In April, an exceptional three-week quarantine monitored by the police was imposed on 1,200 Roma former refugees living in apartment blocks in Konik, after one case of COVID-19 was discovered.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS In April, women's NGOs established a coalition to support women experiencing domestic violence after court cases increased and calls to the Centre for Women’s Rights rose by 20%.
Amnesty International Report 2020/21
MOROCCO/ WESTERN SAHARA Kingdom of Morocco Head of state: Mohammed VI Head of government: Saad-Eddine El Othmani The authorities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with a new health emergency decree-law, which restricted freedoms of movement, expression and assembly, and used it to prosecute people for criticizing the government’s handling of the crisis or for breaking the emergency measures. Sahrawi human rights defenders continued to be intimidated, harassed and arrested for peacefully expressing their opinions. Women continued to face discrimination as well as sexual and other gender-based violence, and faced increased difficulties in accessing justice during the pandemic. Consensual same-sex sexual relations between adults remained a criminal offence and the authorities failed to investigate incitement to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The rights of migrants were violated, including as a result of inadequate COVID-19 protection measures in migrant detention centres. The Polisario Front, which administers camps in Algeria for refugees from Western Sahara, detained at least one critic. Courts handed down death sentences; there were no executions.
BACKGROUND In January, Morocco passed laws adding the waters off the coast of the disputed Western Sahara land to its maritime territory, extending its jurisdiction over the waters from Tangier city in the north to Lagouira town on the Mauritanian border. On 20 March, the government declared a state of health emergency that remained in place until the end of the year. It also imposed a national lockdown which was gradually lifted in June and replaced by a set
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